South African Daniel Brink,who was working as a guardin Iraq when his SUV was hit byroadside bombs meets withDynCorp Officials who thenThrow him under the bus

Survivor Struggles

Even when foreigners know their rights, the system can be daunting.

Daniel Brink, a South African, was working as a security guard in Iraq when his SUV was hit by a string of roadside bombs in December 2005.

Brink, a former police officer, lost his right leg and most of his fingers. He was flown to London, where surgeons used some of his toes to replace some of his lost fingers.

CNA, the insurance carrier for Brink's employer, paid for that treatment.But when he returned to Johannesburg, South Africa, disputes arose over the cost of follow-up surgeries, psychological counseling, an electric wheelchair and related renovations to Brink's house. CNA took months to pay for the surgeries and rejected the other bills, Brink said. His credit rating plunged, his wheelchair was repossessed, and he lost his home to foreclosure.

In May 2007, Brink flew to Chicago, believing he had an appointment to meet with his CNA claims adjuster. When he arrived, Brink said, he was told nobody would meet with him. Security guards escorted him out of CNA headquarters.

Two years later, Brink is pressing his claim in the Labor Department's dispute-resolution system. He said his outstanding medical bills total about $150,000.

CNA said that it "does not have any direct contact with workers," but otherwise declined to comment, saying that individual cases are confidential.

Brink, 39, said scores of South Africans who worked in Iraq are in similar situations. He is now in law school and hopes to represent injured contract workers from his country someday.

"It's not that I want something out of the ordinary," Brink said. "I just want what I'm entitled to, nothing more, nothing less."

Congressional hearings generally follow a script. Lawmakers publicly vent their outrage, administration officials offer plausible defenses, and the outcome is inconclusive. But last week's airing of complaints about the government's system for taking care of civilian workers injured or killed while on the job in Iraq and Afghanistan was notable for its unanimity.

Republicans and Democrats, Obama administration officials, private insurance companies and injured contractors all agreed that there are serious flaws in the Defense Base Act, [1] a 70-year-old law that requires federal contractors to purchase special workers' compensation insurance for employees working in war zones.

The Labor Department, which oversees the system, acknowledged that it had failed to consistently provide for the needs of the injured. Insurance carriers complained that tight deadlines and paperwork requirements were outmoded for the complexities of a war zone. Injured civilians recounted long, painful battles to get prosthetic legs, prescription eyeglasses and other basic medical needs.

"We are trying to meet a complex, 21st century challenge with a program from World War II," Seth Harris [2], the Labor Department's deputy secretary, told a panel of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform [3] on Thursday. "It simply isn't up to the task."

Vetted International managed to get my MRSA treatment from CNA after I battled with Donna Sprags. They have on several occasions paid for my medication. Before John Maclean, Brian Sjostedt and Tyler K attended to my file, I almost died of infections. This company came to South Africa and negotiated with all my medical suppliers. Most of all they settled my debts.The funny thing of all is that just as it seems that all is well, Donna closed my file with them. Because of the file closure, I cannot get medication from the hospital. My medical providers wants nothing to do with Donna Sprags because of all her empty payment promises.Vetted appointed a medical professional to take care of my day to day needs. They furthermore looked at how they were going to get my life back to as normal as possible.My situation is back to where I was before Vetted International intervened. Why would Donna Sprags close my file with Vetted if they where the only people who kept me off her back. I must admit that I'm not the easiest person in life to deal with. I can be downright rude and unpleasant. It did not matter what type of curve ball I threw at this company, they managed to sort every problem out. I want to publicly apologize to them for all the hard times i gave them and can publicly state that Vetted was the best thing that could have happened to the South African contractors.I need this company to take of me. Three cheers for Vetted. Keep up the good work!!

Forever gratefulDaniel Brink

Daniel Brink with his wife Stellieon R&R not long beforeDaniels injuries

Johannesburg -A South African contractor working in Afghanistan has been arrested and spirited away across the world under a controversial United States law. Sean Brehm, 44, arrived in the US on Tuesday and is being held near ­Washington. Brehm, who ran a VIP ­protection company in Cape Town and who had been working in Afghanistan since October last year, was arrested at the ­Kandahar Air Force Base last month after allegedly stabbing and severely wounding a British contractor in a dispute.

See AlsoDoD Memorandum:Class Deviation Additional Contractor Requirements and Responsibilities relating to alleged crimes by or against Contractor Personnel in Iraq or Afghanistan